Harley rider is injured when car cuts a left turn in front of him

Deputies from the Washington County Sheriff's Office respond to crash that injures a rider Thursday afternoon, LaVerkin, Utah, July 20, 2017 | Photo by Ron Chaffin, St. George News

LAVERKIN — A Toquerville man riding through LaVerkin was thrown from his blue Harley Davidson motorcycle and injured when a driver failed to yield while making a left-hand turn through an intersection Thursday.

At approximately 1:30 pm. officers and emergency personnel responded to a crash at the intersection of state Route 9 and W. 500 North involving a Volvo passenger car and the motorcycle with an injured rider, LaVerkin Police Chief Ben Lee said.

Responding officers found a small group of bystanders around the rider who was lying in the middle of the intersection. Minutes later the ambulance arrived and transported the man to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George in stable condition.

“The rider sustained injuries during impact, primarily to his legs, according to what we were told by witnesses at the scene,” Lee said, “but he was conscious and talking to officers before being transported to the hospital.”

Intersection of SR-9 and 500 North where rider was injured crash after driver failed to yield Thursday afternoon, LaVerkin, Utah, July 20, 2017 | Photo by Ron Chaffin, St. George News

Officers found through the investigation that the motorcycle was heading north on SR-9. As he approached the intersection of W. 500 North he struck the southbound Volvo making a left-hand turn onto 500 North directly in front of him.

According to witness statements, the man driving the Volvo had approached the intersection behind another vehicle that made a left-hand turn without yielding to the oncoming rider, the chief said. The first car was able to clear the intersection, but the Volvo following close behind intent on making the left turn as well was side-swiped by the northbound motorcycle.

The rider was thrown from the bike during impact and landed in the middle of the roadway where he was found minutes later by responders.

Officers issued a citation to the man driving the Volvo for failing to yield on a left-hand turn. The intersection was closed and traffic diverted by Washington County deputies for just under 30 minutes, Lee said, while responders tended to the injured rider and cleared the roadway.

No other information regarding the rider’s condition or extent of his injuries was available at the time of this report.

The motorcycle was damaged and later towed from the scene.

The LaVerkin Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Hurricane Valley Fire and Ambulance responded and tended to the scene.

Intersection of SR-9 and 500 North where rider was injured crash after driver failed to yield Thursday afternoon, LaVerkin, Utah, July 20, 2017 | Photo by Ron Chaffin, St. George News

This report is based on statements from police or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cody Blowers was raised in South San Francisco, California. A 2013 graduate of Colorado Technical University, Cody earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in paralegal studies. Through the course of her academic studies she discovered that writing is her true passion, and she is committed to providing credible, integrated news coverage. Cody joined St. George News in 2015, and when she’s not busy chasing the news, she can generally be found chasing her young granddaughter, Kali.

2 Comments

Too bad that Driving While Stupid isn’t a mandatory jail sentence offense! Not to mention Driving While Having An Crainial/Anal Inversion!
It’s really too bad they didn’t add Following Too Closely to the ticket.

Again, I’ve never seen anything like this before I moved here a year ago. WHAT THE #$%@ IS UP WITH PEOPLE HERE ?? I feel lucky if I make it from Santa Clara to downtown St. George without someone blatantly turning left in front of me. I still wonder if it’s because people here drive soooooo slow (usually under the speed limit) that the “left turners” think they have plenty of time. I also think the D.M.V. should give Depth Perception eye tests. This issue here is just crazy !